Season series: This is the first of three meetings this season. The teams split four games in 2011-12, with the home team winning all four.

Big story: The Ducks are one of the surprise teams in the new season, with only two regulation losses in 10 games - the second was a 3-1 defeat in Dallas on Friday night. The Blues started the season by winning six of their first seven but have hit the skids since then, losing three in a row - including 6-1 and 5-1 home losses this week.

Team Scope:

Ducks: Anaheim took a four-game winning streak into Friday night's game at Dallas, but allowed two first-period power-play goals and never recovered. Nick Bonino scored late in the second period, but the Ducks ultimately paid for their slow start with a 3-1 loss in which they were outshot 16-7 in the first period and managed only 21 shots overall.

"I think it was the effort - we didn't get it going until the second period," defenseman Francois Beauchemin said. "We have to stay disciplined. We have to control our emotions and make sure we're ready right off the bat.

"In the first period we weren't moving. We weren't competing. When you don't do that, you can't win a game in the NHL."

Blues: On the day after his team was embarrassed 5-1 at home by Detroit, Blues coach Ken Hitchcock eschewed a bag skate or a puck-less practice in favor of a video session. He admitted afterward that times have changed, and that he might well have done things another way a few years ago.

"We probably would have done different things today," Hitchcock said Friday. "But you learn. You learn over time that it's not the end of the world. If you treat it like the end of the world .... my job is to get them out of the ditch.

"You don't get them out of the ditch with a bunch of criticism and a bunch of conflict. My job is to get them back up and running and feeling good about themselves. As much as you want them to learn from the mistakes, they've got to see the good stuff, too."

Who's hot: Saku Koivu leads the Ducks with 11 points, including four in he last four games. Bonino had Anaheim's lone goal on Friday, his fourth in four games. … Defenseman Alex Pietrangelo scored both of the Blues' goals in their last two games.

Injury report: Anaheim goaltender Jonas Hiller left after the first period Friday night with a lower-body injury. Defenseman Cam Fowler (head) is on the injured list. … The Blues are still without goaltender Jaroslav Halak (groin), though he's started practicing again and could be back in the lineup as early as Monday.

I have a good feeling about tonight. I think we dominate all 60 minutes. We just played 3 really bad hockey games and have had 3 days off. I think they come out with a chip on their shoulder and crush the ducks tonight.

Ducks played lastnight, and the Blues still got outworked. I really dont get it I get tired of watching 2.5-3 hours of hockey, only to be let down. tempted to take a break from this garbage and watch other teams on Gamecenter.

3 goals in 3 shots? WTF...what in the hell is wrong with Elliott? I'm glad right now hes not our number 1.

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They did get jobbed on Cole's non-goal in OT, but that doesn't excuse the fact that they went to OT in the first place. I was away from the TV for Ducks goals 2, 3 and 4 because I was in the kitchen. But from what I heard, the defense was leaving Elliott hanging out there. Also, I might be jumping to conclusions here, but it seems like DP always wants to make a highlight reel play and more often than not ends up coughing up the puck. He should be benched a game for being a puckhog.

Some might say "we stole a point" or "at least it was in the shootout", but no matter how you want to doctor it up, the Blues are WINLESS in four. There is no passion and consistency out of the team. Sure, there are a few flashes here and there, but overall, there is not much in the way of what I would call a true team effort. C'mon guys, if that "blown call" in Detroit really has this much negative effect more than a week later, then it would be my opinion there isn't much of a team in the locker room. Someone needs to drop the gloves and prove you still want to wear the note.

Not quite sure what to say about this one. Deflating, disappointing. It was the first game I'd attended in person in almost a year (stupid lockout) and I went just in time to see the D check out for 2/3 of the game. I'll say this, Elliott has been getting no help the last few games, but he's not doing anything to calm situations down. The first goal he gave up was absolutely pathetic. He's hanging his head after goals...he looks defeated before the puck even goes in. I was hoping that Hitch would give Jake Allen the start last night, looks like I might get my wish on Monday if Halak isn't healthy.

Also disappointing was just how bad the Blues were at clearing the puck out of the defensive end. They seem to be reacting instead of dictating play. They're swatting at pucks that create bounces and those bounces are creating opportunities for the other teams. It needs to be cleaned up.

The Blues offense finally woke up at least. A couple of power play goals. That's an area that hasn't been a concern so far this year.

0-3-1 in the last 4. I'm with Nyghtewynd, I have also wondered if Hitch is losing the room.

Who in their right mind, in Columbus of all places, fires a coach right after taking that team to their first ever playoffs? Anyone wonder why?

The consistent intensity the former Dallas Stars coach had might very well be gone, only players like Modano and Hull could tell us for sure. But for someone whose used a D-First mentality to take home a Cup and win the Jack Adams who is allowing the team to play like he has now says everything we need to know. This would not be acceptable to the Dallas Stars Hitch; he'd have the entire team bag skate til they understood that it's not.

It's possible that the Mike Keenan days ring too loud in the locker room to this day and every coach since has simply been too scared to embrace a win-or-you-bag-skate mentality due to the disasterous fallout that, along with the Laurie dismantling, set us back a decade.

Part of it might be a bad locker room presence and a trade might very well be necessary to restore order. But if Hitch isn't capable of running or being responsible for this team, maybe he is not the man to take us to the next step. Maybe we have the team to do it, and have the wrong man at the helm.

What these guys need, plain and simple, is to be held accountable and be made to be hungry to win. If they went on the ice, played hard and still lost, I think we'd be okay with that from the standpoint that we know the team we have and can make the acquisitions to move to the next level. We have yet to see what this team is truly capable of to be able to make that decision.

In any event, bad play has to be accountable to the coach first and foremost. And reading from how the synopsis at the beginning goes, it sounds to me like Hitch has become more their pal than their coach.

As frustrating as it is, I can live with a 4 game losing streak. Of course the impact is magnified this season, but there's going to be ups and downs.

What I can't live with is that it seems like they are being outworked by less talented teams. I'm not ready to give up on the team or anything, but I feel like they are failing to do the only thing that I require for my loyalty. Consistently play a full 60. I think they've only done that twice this year, and one was the home opener against a rival.

Could it be a couple of bad seeds on the team? Perron seems to be pretty franking selfish with the puck on a regular basis. Stewart only shows up when it suits his mood. I wouldn't be against them trading both. The best forward on the team scored his first last night. That would be Steen. Why is he the best forward? At least he's taking shots and trying to score instead of being a primadonna.

I'm not overly concerned about the defense on account of the fact that I would say the pressure has been on them because the forwards are playing like such shit for the majority of the game and coughing up stupid ass turnovers. Ells has let in some weak sauce shit for sure, but a bunch are on shots that never should have even been generated. They're giving the opponents way too many quality chances, on average, per shot against.

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